What was he doing up there, charging forward like that? With two minutes
remaining on a night of excruciating tension at Wembley Stadium, with his
team clinging to a fragile 1-0 lead, Steven Gerrard deserted his post, sent
himself upfield one final time, forcing his way through, stretching out his
right foot, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper and sparking euphoric
celebrations as England’s place in next summer’s World Cup finals was
secured.

So that is what he was doing: making sure. Had he lost the ball and been
caught out of position, England would have been in trouble, but